Comic Pacing/Storytelling

[EmmyPax]

I've been thinking a lot about this lately!

I come from a creative writing background, so I'm comfortable with overall story pacing and structuring a narrative, but I'd love to hear people's thoughts on how to use pacing properly in comics.

I think a lot of us are familiar with tricks like using wide, establishing shots at the beginning of a scene to paint a picture of where the story is/where the characters are in relationship to the world. But what are some other tricks of storytelling and pacing people use?

Here's one that I found myself thinking of last night - I think it's really important for set-up and payoff to introduce important elements both visually as well as by text. I've been finding with my comic that if there isn't a pictorial representation of something/an element I plan on using later, it's unlikely anyone is going to remember it in the future. There needs to be some chance for the reader to linger visually on important objects/concepts, since it's not likely to stick just through interacting with it in text, whether that's narration or a word balloon.

Anyhow, other thoughts? Hope there are some other pacing nerds like me out there!

[skicoak]

I'm a big fan of pregnant pauses to emphasize upcoming important dialog. Just slip that visually interesting but silent panel in before the shoe drops.

[EmmyPax]

Oooo, that's a good one. Sort of like separating out important information into it's own paragraph.

Actually, I'm starting to see panels more and more as synonymous with paragraphs in novels. There are some definite differences (some panels hold WAY more than a paragraph worth of information) but I think it's the closest synonymous bite-sized chunk.

[KizKat]

I've recently started experimenting with panels for this very reason. I kind of like moving objects outside of panels from one panel to another, to represent the passage of time.

Like here:

I felt that it was more interesting to use the reaction panels to bounce the dice, than to draw different panels of the dice hitting objects and falling out of frame, because you could see the object's full jouney. I might frame it slightly differently if I re-did it, like having the panels descend diagonally down matching the object's descent, but otherwise I think it helps make the whole thing more readable (at least I hope!).

[nathanKmcwilliams]

I like to use my speech bubbles to draw attention and create a line for the eye to follow.

Also... every once in a while, I'll break a panel open by having a character burst out.

And ... .... CLIFFHANGERS. Keep em coming back to see what happens next. (But make sure the next page delivers the goods!)

[skicoak]

Actually, I'm starting to see panels more and more as synonymous with paragraphs in novels.

I can see that from a writing point of view.

I come from more of a visual storyteller POV so I tend to see panels/images from different metrics. I have lately leaned more into controlling the reader's pace OUTSIDE of the text elements. Like using more negative space between dialog ballons that should have a quick cadence and separating ones that need time to marinate from each other by creating eye lines that trick the eye into going in perpendicular directions... at least momentarily.

We got so many tools in our bags...might as well try them all out!

[EmmyPax]

There really are so many tools! These are all such fascinating ideas.

[keii4ii]

I think for people coming from a prose writing background, it might be a good exercise to do a short story comic (either a self-contained one, or just one scene from a longer story) that's entirely told through visuals. No text.

And imagine how the scene would play out in a movie. For example, there's a difference between one shot that just quickly moves onto the next, and one shot that lingers. Both types are important. How can you portray that kind of a difference in a comic? How do your favorite comics do it? (I'm too tired to give examples at the moment, but I hope it gives you something to think about!)